Two-minute drill: Washington State’s keys to victory against Washington in Apple Cup
PULLMAN — Here is what to watch for when Washington State squares off against rival Washington in Saturday afternoon’s Apple Cup.
When Washington has the ball…
How will WSU’s front line stack up against UW’s offensive line, which is a brand-new unit? The Huskies’ front five has allowed one sack in two games, which went against center D’Angalo Titialii. Tackle Soane Faasolo has allowed the most pressures of the unit, permitting three hits and two hurries, according to Pro Football Focus, while fellow tackle Drew Azzopardi has allowed two pressures.
That’s the challenge for Cougar pass-rushers like Syrus Webster and Raam Stevenson, who lead their club with nine and six pressures, respectively. In WSU’s win over Texas Tech last week, Stevenson logged the team’s only sack of the game, which came late in the fourth quarter.
WSU has also gotten a nice lift from defensive tackle David Gusta, an interior lineman. In that game against the Red Raiders, he totaled five pressures, including three hurries and two hits, according to Pro Football Focus. He also got in Texas Tech QB Behren Morton’s face, helping force one of the two interceptions the Cougs grabbed in that one.
“You don’t get stats for a lot of things that David does,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said after that game. “It’s grimy, it’s dirty, it’s tough. But he is as physical and demanding of presence inside as we’ve seen here. So to see David go out and play that way, with heart and passion and physicality and with an edge — and David plays with an edge.”
Also important will be how WSU’s secondary holds up against UW quarterback Will Rogers and his team’s pro-style offense. The Cougars aren’t worried about Rogers’ scrambling ability. He’s a pure pocket passer, operating an Air Raid system at his previous stop of Mississippi State and now taking over new UW coach Jedd Fisch’s system in Seattle.
But he’s accurate with his passes, and he’s smart about where he places the ball. Through two games this season, Rogers has completed 41 of 53 passes (77%) for 511 yards and five touchdowns. The pressure he’s faced hasn’t seemed to matter, either. Kept clean, he’s hit on 80% of his passes, and against the blitz, he’s connected on 21 of 28 passes, which is 75%.
The playmakers around him have made his job easier, too. Wide receiver Giles Jackson leads UW with 16 receptions, which he’s turned into 164 yards. Wideout Denzel Boston has parlayed nine receptions into 108 yards and three scores, and transfer receiver Jeremiah Coleman has hauled in one touchdown on five catches, providing a real test for Cougar cornerbacks Steve Hall and Ethan O’Connor, the latter a redshirt freshman.
WSU would also do well to bottle up UW running back Jonah Coleman, a transfer from Arizona. In the Cougs’ blowout loss to the Wildcats last year, Coleman registered 11 carries for 70 yards and three touchdowns. This year, he has tallied 27 carries for 231 yards and three scores.
“He’s gonna run hard. That’s a good running back,” WSU safety Tyson Durant said. “We gotta give respect where respect is (due). He’s a really good running back, but small strike zone, go attack just like we were last week.”
When Washington State has the ball…
Three games into his starting tenure, WSU quarterback John Mateer gets the tallest task he’s faced yet. He isn’t just facing a UW defense operated by defensive coordinator Steve Belechick, son of longtime NFL coach Bill Belechick. He’s facing a Husky defense that has already totaled nine sacks, leading Dickert to call UW’s front seven “one of the most physical” he’s seen in awhile.
Mateer may have piled up 197 rushing yards against Texas Tech last week, setting a record for most single-game rushing yards by a WSU quarterback, but he won’t get the same looks this week. In that game, the Red Raiders played the same drop-eight, rush-three coverage that stymied the Cougs in many games last season, allowing Mateer and WSU running back Wayshawn Parker to send a message on the ground.
“These guys are not gonna sit back and drop eight,” Dickert said. “They’re gonna bring it. So we’re gonna have to handle those guys.”
That puts the onus on WSU’s offensive line, which has yet to give up a sack this season. Right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe, who has been out since January with a knee injury, will be a game-time decision. Either way, the Cougs’ front five has been solid this fall, allowing only nine pressures in two games.
Where that unit might have to be even better on Saturday is in the run-blocking department, where last week Washington State earned a PFF grade of 62.6, which is about average. The Cougs will need to hold off Husky linemen like senior edge Zach Durfee, who leads his team with three sacks, and edges Isaiah Ward and DeShawn Lynch, who have pocketed four pressures apiece.
If the Cougs’ offensive line can keep those guys at bay, watch out. Mateer hasn’t always needed to air out this season, but when he has, receivers like Kyle Williams and Kris Hutson have made huge plays: Williams’ deflected touchdown catch last week. Hutson’s diving touchdown catch in Week 1.
Mateer has started a bit slow recently, going three-and-out against Portland State and tossing an interception in WSU’s first drive against Texas Tech, but to Dickert, it’s all part of his maturation.
“John’s building that base level of experience to know that, hey, we ran this play against these looks all week. Hey, I got something different. Don’t force it,” Dickert said. “I think he just forced that (interception). He would admit that. But to see him settle in after an early mistake was huge, and to play physical and confident and be able to play a different way.”